Curious what folks think of the AA now that it is as complete as it's going to get. Judging by the attendance yesterday my guess is many haven't been there yet.
- Maybe my expectations were too high but the concourse was a bit of a disappointment. The gray color scheme is very modern but I guess I'm old fashioned in that I would have preferred to see the school colors.
- The concessions areas seem to be bigger and the electronic signage around them is a nice, modern touch. I didn't try any of the new food or beer.
- New fixtures and paint went a long way in the bathrooms. Definitely an upgrade though nothing is as efficient as the tried and true troughs of War Memorial.
- Mickey's... I don't know what to say here. I think CJC is struggling to figure out what to do with the space. It's simply an elevated platform in the middle of the concourse with some high tops and bar seating. It has a bar in it, but there are similar dispensing stations all around the arena. There are really no walls or privacy to it so it doesn't make a lot of sense as a special event space or as a significant attraction for donors. There's one tv if I remember right, but it's not like you would seek the space out in order to go early and have a beer or two and watch other games from around the country. I stopped through there and didn't quite get what it was all about. I guess if you want a place to sit out in the concourse it works but for anyone who thinks it's a "club area" like you would see in professional stadiums it's not really that.
- The "Wyoming" illustrations for some of the portals look great. I wish every portal was a different Wyoming location. As it is now you walk by a cool Vedauwoo entrance and then the next few portals are simply numbered as they always were. Maybe I'm too dense to know if there is a reason some portals got dressed up and others didn't.
- The Sailors statue looks great, as does the East entrance where it is located. I just wish the statue was out in the main concourse where more people could see it. I don't know that most people use that entrance. As it stands now, unless you enter or exit that specific entrance you're never going to see the statue, and you can't see it as you walk around the concourse. If you didn't come in the East entrance you'd never know the statue exists.
- I'm not going to say much more about the interior. The Arena looks half finished because it is. Until the upper bowl seating is replaced like the lower bowl it will stay that way.
All in all, is the Arena a huge upgrade over where it was 10 years ago? Absolutely. Is it where I hoped it would be when the project was first announced? No way.
I guess that's life as a Wyoming fan. You get your hopes up and then learn to love what you get regardless.
- Maybe my expectations were too high but the concourse was a bit of a disappointment. The gray color scheme is very modern but I guess I'm old fashioned in that I would have preferred to see the school colors.
- The concessions areas seem to be bigger and the electronic signage around them is a nice, modern touch. I didn't try any of the new food or beer.
- New fixtures and paint went a long way in the bathrooms. Definitely an upgrade though nothing is as efficient as the tried and true troughs of War Memorial.
- Mickey's... I don't know what to say here. I think CJC is struggling to figure out what to do with the space. It's simply an elevated platform in the middle of the concourse with some high tops and bar seating. It has a bar in it, but there are similar dispensing stations all around the arena. There are really no walls or privacy to it so it doesn't make a lot of sense as a special event space or as a significant attraction for donors. There's one tv if I remember right, but it's not like you would seek the space out in order to go early and have a beer or two and watch other games from around the country. I stopped through there and didn't quite get what it was all about. I guess if you want a place to sit out in the concourse it works but for anyone who thinks it's a "club area" like you would see in professional stadiums it's not really that.
- The "Wyoming" illustrations for some of the portals look great. I wish every portal was a different Wyoming location. As it is now you walk by a cool Vedauwoo entrance and then the next few portals are simply numbered as they always were. Maybe I'm too dense to know if there is a reason some portals got dressed up and others didn't.
- The Sailors statue looks great, as does the East entrance where it is located. I just wish the statue was out in the main concourse where more people could see it. I don't know that most people use that entrance. As it stands now, unless you enter or exit that specific entrance you're never going to see the statue, and you can't see it as you walk around the concourse. If you didn't come in the East entrance you'd never know the statue exists.
- I'm not going to say much more about the interior. The Arena looks half finished because it is. Until the upper bowl seating is replaced like the lower bowl it will stay that way.
All in all, is the Arena a huge upgrade over where it was 10 years ago? Absolutely. Is it where I hoped it would be when the project was first announced? No way.
I guess that's life as a Wyoming fan. You get your hopes up and then learn to love what you get regardless.
